US Trends Research Articles

Current US trends in formal performance appraisal: practices and opportunities – Part II

Purpose – The purpose of this two-part paper is to explore the current practices being employed in the formal performance appraisal process in a cross-section of US service and manufacturing organizations. In this paper, the authors identify the current trends that emerged from this research study and the improvement opportunities that exist for organizations that currently engage in the practice of formally appraising their personnel. Design/methodology/approach – The formal performance appraisal process, procedure, and rating form from 183 US organizations were reviewed by a three-person review panel and were content analyzed to identify current trends and opportunities for improvement. Findings – This qualitative analysis revealed that the average rating procedure had been in place for 5.5 years, to serve a wide variety of purposes, identified critical gaps in training, made it clear that organizations employ a wide variety of performance criteria in assessing their people. Research limitations/implications – The biggest limitation of this research is the fact that a convenience sample of 183 organizations was employed as the basis for this study. Practical implications – Data on the actual formal performance appraisal process of organizations is rather limited and this research provides critical insight into current practice limiting potential generalizability. Social implications – The social implications of this research suggests that organizations can do a much better job of equipping their leaders/employees to more effectively reap the organizational benefits of this key practice. Originality/value – Research in this area is not prevalent so this is a descriptive research study that both researchers and organizations can use to further their knowledge in formal performance appraisals.

US trends in receipt of appropriate diabetes clinical and self-care from 2001 to 2010 and racial/ethnic disparities in care.

The purpose of this study was to examine trends in the receipt of 8 recommended diabetes clinical and self-care indicators from 2001 to 2010 and assess racial/ethnic disparities in care. This observational study examined receipt of A1C tests, annual eye and foot exams, flu vaccination, diabetes self-management education (DSME), exercise, self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG), and self feet examinations among US adults with diabetes using national survey data from 2001 to 2010. Analyses included estimating proportions for each indicator by year, testing differences in magnitude of change from 2001 to 2010 by race/ethnicity, and regression models to assess changes in care over time and factors associated with care. There were significant increases from 2001 to 2010 in A1C tests, annual foot exams, flu shots, DSME, and SMBG but declines in eye and self feet exams. DSME was positively associated with receipt of several care indicators. However, only half of respondents received DSME. White and black non-Hispanics, respectively, experienced improvements in at least 3 indicators. Hispanics experienced a significant increase in exercise but were consistently less likely than whites to receive or engage in most care. While improvements in several indicators were observed, patterns varied by race/ethnicity, with Hispanics falling short on most measures. DSME was strongly associated with most care and demonstrates the potential to improve receipt of recommended care by increasing DSME participation. With the Affordable Care Act (ACA), health professionals have a prime opportunity to leverage ACA provisions to increase access to recommended services, including DSME.

Divergence of trends in US and UK aggregate exergy efficiencies 1960-2010.

National exergy efficiency analysis relates the quality of primary energy inputs to an economy with end useful work in sectoral energy uses such as transport, heat and electrical devices. This approach has been used by a range of authors to explore insights to macroscale energy systems and linkages with economic growth. However, these analyses use a variety of calculation methods with sometimes coarse assumptions, inhibiting comparisons. Therefore, building on previous studies, this paper first contributes toward a common useful work accounting framework, by developing more refined methodological techniques for electricity end use and transport exergy efficiencies. Second, to test this more consistent and granular approach, these advances are applied to the US and UK for 1960 to 2010. The results reveal divergent aggregate exergy efficiencies: US efficiency remains stable at around 11%, while UK efficiency rises from 9% to 15%. The US efficiency stagnation is due to "efficiency dilution", where structural shifts to lower efficiency consumption (e.g., air-conditioning) outweigh device-level efficiency gains. The results demonstrate this is an important area of research, with consequent implications for national energy efficiency policies.

PIN10 - Recent Trends In Incidence Of Infant Pertussis Hospitalizations In The United States

Infants are at greatest risk for severe pertussis (~50% of infant cases require hospitalization). Recent surveillance indicates a resurgence of overall pertussis incidence in the US, but limited data exist on whether severe infantile cases are also resurging and the extent to which severe pertussis incidence in infants varies by sex and race. We therefore assessed recent US trends in overall and sex- and race-stratified incidence of infant pertussis-related hospitalizations. Data on pertussis-related hospitalizations (ICD-9-CM discharge codes 033.0, 033.8, 033.9, 484.3) from the 2000-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) were retrospectively analyzed. Annual pertussis-related hospitalizations per 10,000 infants aged <12 months was estimated using NIS sampling weights and year-specific population denominators from US census data. Incidence of pertussis-related hospitalization was ~6/10,000 infants between 2000 and 2003 before increasing sharply in 2004 (9.0/10,000) and 2005 (13.8/10,000). Thereafter, incidence fell substantially (6.2, 4.1, and 4.2/10,000 in 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively) before increasing again in 2009 and 2010 (5.9 and 7.8/10,000, respectively). Incidence declined again in 2011 (3.2/10,000). Incidence was similar between males and females, but substantial differences were observed by race. Incidence was highest in Hispanic infants, starting at 8.6/10,000 in 2000, peaking at 24.9/10,000 in 2005, and then falling to 4.3/10,000 in 2008 before another sharp increase to 14.7/10,000 in 2010. Incidence was lowest for white and Asian infants, reaching a 2005 peak of only 5.4 and 5.3/10,000, respectively. Infant pertussis hospitalizations peaked in 2005 before a sharp decline thereafter, possibly due to increased herd immunity conferred by the 2006 launch of universal adolescent Tdap vaccination. Incidence resurged again through 2010 before another decline in 2011, demonstrating for severe cases the documented cyclic pattern of peaks and nadirs for overall pertussis incidence. This analysis also highlights the need for increased focus on minorities in pertussis vaccination programs.

Reconstructing the Savings Glut: The Global Implications of Asian Excess Saving

East Asian, and primarily Chinese and Japanese, excess saving has been comparatively large and controversial since the 1980s. That it has contributed to the decline in the global “natural” rate of interest is consistent with Bernanke's much debated “savings glut” hypothesis for the decade after 1998, empirical explorations of which have proved unconvincing. In this paper it is argued that the comparatively integrated global market for long bonds is suggestive of trends in the “world” natural rate and that the longer term evidence supports a leading role for Asia's contribution to the expansion of ex ante global saving in explaining the declining trend in real long yields. Evidence is presented that trends in US 10 year bond yields are indeed representative of those in the “world” natural rate. The relationship between these yields and excess saving in China and Japan is then explored using a VECM that accounts for US monetary policy. The results support a negative long term relationship between 10-year yields and the current account surpluses of China and Japan. Projections using the same model then suggest that a feasible range of future pathways for those current accounts could cause the path of long rates to deviate by 330 basis points over the next decade.

National Trends in Pediatric Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Hospitalization in the United States: 2000–2009

In the setting of recent healthcare advances and emphasis on reduced spending, we aimed to characterize US trends in inpatient healthcare use and mortality for pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We performed a retrospective, serial, cross-sectional analysis of the national Kids' Inpatient Database (for 2000, 2003, 2006, and 2009). We identified patients with SLE aged 2 to 21 years using an International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision (ICD-9) code of 710.0 listed as a discharge diagnosis. Using sampling weights, we estimated trends in hospitalization, inpatient mortality, procedure rates, and length of stay (LOS). We analyzed patient and hospital-specific risk factors for mortality and LOS, and compared those outcomes to those without SLE. We identified 26,903 estimated pediatric SLE hospitalizations. The hospitalization rate of 8.6 (95% CI 7.6-9.6) per 100,000 population and mean LOS of 5.9 days (95% CI 5.6-6.2) were stable over time. We found a significant downward trend in mortality, decreasing from 1% to 0.6% (p = 0.04), which paralleled a less pronounced trend for those without SLE. The rate of dialysis, blood transfusions, and vascular catheterization procedures increased. Patients with SLE nephritis and non-white race were at risk for increased healthcare use and death. Pediatric SLE hospitalization rate and LOS remained stable, but inpatient mortality decreased as the rate of common therapeutic procedures increased. More research is needed to understand the drivers of these relationships.

Not Just Neoliberalism

Recent scholarship in science, technology, and society has emphasized the neoliberal character of science today. This article draws on the history of US science and technology (S&amp;T) policy to argue against thinking of recent changes in science as fundamentally neoliberal, and for thinking of them instead as reflecting a process of “economization.” The policies that changed the organization of science in the United States included some that intervened in markets and others that expanded their reach, and were promoted by some groups who were skeptical of free markets and others who embraced them. In both cases, however, new policies reflected (1) growing political concern with “the economy” and related abstractions (e.g., growth, productivity, balance of trade) and (2) a new understanding of S&amp;T as inputs into a larger economic system that government could manipulate through policy. Understanding trends in US S&amp;T policy as resulting from economization, not just neoliberalism, has implications for thinking about the present and likely future of science and S&amp;T policy.

Effects of runoff sensitivity and catchment characteristics on regional actual evapotranspiration trends in the conterminous US

An understanding of the role of hydro-climatic and geographic regimes on regional actual evapotranspiration (AET) change is essential to improving our knowledge on predicting water availability in a changing climate. This study investigates the relationship between AET change for a 60 year period (1951–2010) and the runoff sensitivity in 255 undisturbed catchments over the US. The runoff sensitivity to climate change is simply defined as the relative magnitude between runoff and precipitation changes with time. Runoff sensitivity can readily explain the conflicting directions of AET changes under similar precipitation change. Under increasing precipitation, AET decreases when runoff is increasing more rapidly than precipitation based on the water balance. Conversely, AET increases when runoff is decreasing more rapidly than precipitation. This result indicates that runoff sensitivity to climate change is a key factor for understanding regional water availability change at the catchment scale. In addition, a stepwise multiple regression analysis and a geographically weighted regression analysis show that the portion of evergreen forest and the mean elevation of a catchment may play a secondary role in the spatial pattern of the AET change, and the relative importance of such explanatory variables may change over space.

Introduction to the Special Issue: Community Living and Participation

Background. In July 2012 the Research and Training Center on Community Living at the University of Minnesota hosted a State-of-theScience Conference on Community Living Outcomes and Quality of Life (SOSC). The purpose of this conference was to bring together researchers and other stakeholders to provide a summary of what is known, identify points of debate and gaps, and establish recommendations for future research related to community living outcomes and quality of life in for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). The conference had a number of focus areas, including: social inclusion; self-determination; family experiences, support and siblings; employment; health and wellness; methodological issues in research; quality of life indicators; outcome predictors; and using outcome data to inform policy. The State of the Science Conference was a vehicle through which these key topics related to community living and participation could be discussed and future research goals identified. This special issue of Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) includes papers written by the presenters and participants of the SOSC on key topics associated with community living outcomes. The purpose of this introduction is to place the special issue papers in a broader research, policy and service-delivery context. The phrase ‘‘state-of-thescience’’ connotes rigorous, technical analysis of scientific knowledge using techniques such as systematic reviews and meta-analysis. These are valid approaches, but they require a level of research evidence and a consistency in outcomes measures that are rarely available in IDD research. As Moseley, Kleinert, Sheppard-Jones, and Hall (2013, this issue) note, public policy draws on the best available evidence, and often cannot wait for gold-standard randomized control design studies to be completed. Moreover, in many public policy areas, including IDD services, it is neither possible, nor ethical, to randomly assign people with IDD to treatment and non-treatment groups. Nature of the special issue papers. Instead of systematic reviews, this special issue presents a series of expert commentaries and narrative reviews that focus on important policy-related and conceptual issues that were examined at the State-of-theScience Conference. As Lakin (2012) noted, ‘‘In policy research it is often necessary to accept the preponderance of good evidence through comprehensive reviews of all the available credible evidence’’. Ideally, such reviews select the best available evidence and analyze and interpret it in a manner underpinned by a detailed understanding of the circumstances in which the evidence was obtained, and of the IDD policy and service-delivery context in which the conclusions are to be applied. We hope readers will find that the commentaries, reviews and analyses presented in this special issue display these characteristics. US focus drawing on US data. One feature of a number of the special-issue papers is a strong focus on outcomes, services, policy and research involving people with IDD in the US. A related characteristic is that many of these papers draw on data from one or more US national surveys, such as the Administration on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) Projects of National Significance. These projects include the National Core Indicators project (Human Services Research Institute and the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disability Services), Residential Information Systems Project (University of Minnesota), State of the States in Developmental Disabilities Project (University of Colorado, Boulder) and Access to Integrated Employment: National Data Collection on Day and Employment Services for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (University of Massachusetts, Boston). However, the spotlight on the US is not all encompassing. For example, Amado, Stancliffe, McCarron and McCallion (2013, this issue) draw on national findings from Ireland arising from the Intellectual Disability Supplement to The Irish Longitudinal INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES

US trends in quality-adjusted life expectancy from 1987 to 2008: combining national surveys to more broadly track the health of the nation.

We used data from multiple national health surveys to systematically track the health of the US adult population. We estimated trends in quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) from 1987 to 2008 by using national mortality data combined with data on symptoms and impairments from the National Medical Expenditure Survey (1987), National Health Interview Survey (1987, 1994-1995, 1996), Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (1992, 1996, 2000-2008), National Nursing Home Survey (1985, 1995, and 1999), and Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (1992, 1994-2008). We decomposed QALE into changes in life expectancy, impairments, symptoms, and smoking and body mass index. Years of QALE increased overall and for all demographic groups-men, women, Whites, and Blacks-despite being slowed by increases in obesity and a rising prevalence of some symptoms and impairments. Overall QALE gains were large: 2.4 years at age 25 years and 1.7 years at age 65 years. Understanding and consistently tracking the drivers of QALE change is central to informed policymaking. Harmonizing data from multiple national surveys is an important step in building this infrastructure.

Is Australia One Recession Away from a Disability Blowout? Lessons from Other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Countries

A blowout in disability-based cash transfer programmes resulted in fundamental reforms over the last decade in several Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Similar reforms are being proposed in the United States in the wake of its disability programme growth following the Global Financial Crisis. We compare trends in US and Australian disability receipt with those of the Netherlands and Sweden and argue that Australia's current Disability Support Pension programme is vulnerable to the same forces that caused unsustainable programme growth in these countries. Absent fundamental reforms focused on return to work over benefit receipt means that Australia could be one recession away from disability benefit blowout.

Trends in Postacute Care and Staffing in US Nursing Homes, 2001–2010

The objective of this study was to document the growth of postacute care and contemporaneous staffing trends in US nursing homes over the decade 2001 to2010. We integrated data from all US nursing homes longitudinally to track annual changes in the levels of postacute care intensity, therapy staffing and direct-care staffing separately for freestanding and hospital-based facilities. All Medicare/Medicaid-certified nursing homes from 2001 to 2010 based on the Online Survey Certification and Reporting System database merged with facility-level case mix measures aggregated from resident-level information from the Minimum Data Set and Medicare Part A claims. We created a number of aggregate case mix measures to approximate the intensity of postacute care per facility per year, including the proportion of SNF-covered person days, number of admissions per bed, and average RUG-based case mix index. We also created measures of average hours per resident day for physical and occupational therapists, PT/OT assistants, PT/OT aides, and direct-care nursing staff. In freestanding nursing homes, all postacute care intensity measures increased considerably each year throughout the study period. In contrast, in hospital-based facilities, all but one of these measures decreased. Similarly, therapy staffing has risen substantially in freestanding homes but declined in hospital-based facilities. Postacute care case mix acuity appeared to correlate reasonably well with therapy staffing levels in both types of facilities. There has been a marked and steady shift toward postacute care in the nursing home industry in the past decade, primarily in freestanding facilities, accompanied by increased therapy staffing.

Trends in cation, nitrogen, sulfate and hydrogen ion concentrations in precipitation in the United States and Europe from 1978 to 2010: a new look at an old problem

Industrial emissions of SO2 and NOx, resulting in the formation and deposition of sulfuric and nitric acids, affect the health of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Since the mid-late 20th century, legislation to control acid rain precursors in both Europe and the US has led to significant declines in both SO4–S and H+ in precipitation and streams. However, several authors noted that declines in streamwater SO4–S did not result in stoichiometric reductions in stream H+, and suggested that observed reductions in base cation inputs in precipitation could lessen the effect of air pollution control on improving stream pH. We examined long-term precipitation chemistry (1978–2010) from nearly 30 sites in the US and Europe that are variably affected by acid deposition and that have a variety of industrial and land-use histories to (1) quantify trends in SO4–S, H+, NH4–N, Ca, and NO3–N, (2) assess stoichiometry between H+ and SO4–S before and after 1990, and (3) examine regional synchrony of trends. We expected that although the overall efforts of developed countries to reduce air pollution and acid rain by the mid-late 20th century would tend to synchronize precipitation chemistry among regions, geographically varied patterns of fossil fuel use and pollution control measures would produce important asynchronies among European countries and the United States. We also expected that control of particulate versus gaseous emission, along with trends in NH3 emissions, would be the two most significant factors affecting the stoichiometry between SO4–S and H+. Relationships among H+, SO4–S, NH4–N, and cations differed markedly between the US and Europe. Controlling for SO4–S levels, H+ in precipitation was significantly lower in Europe than in the US, because (1) alkaline dust loading from the Sahara/Sahel was greater in Europe than the US, and (2) emission of NH3, which neutralizes acidity upon conversion to NH4 +, is generally significantly higher in Europe than in the US. Trends in SO4–S and H+ in precipitation were close to stoichometric in the US throughout the period of record, but not in Europe, especially eastern Europe. Ca in precipitation declined significantly before, but not after 1990 in most of the US, but Ca declined in eastern Europe even after 1990. SO4–S in precipitation was only weakly related to fossil fuel consumption. The stoichiometry of SO4–S and H+ may be explained in part by emission controls, which varied over time and among regions. Control of particulate emissions reduces alkaline particles that neutralize acid precursors as well as S-containing particulates, reducing SO4–S and Ca more steeply than H+, consistent with trends in the northeastern US and Europe before 1990. In contrast, control of gaseous SO2 emissions results in a stoichiometric relationship between SO4–S and H+, consistent with trends in the US and many western European countries, especially after 1991. However, in many European countries, declining NH3 emissions contributed to the lack of stoichiometry between SO4–S and H+.Recent reductions in NOx emissions have also contributed to declines in H+ in precipitation. Future changes in precipitation acidity are likely to depend on multiple factors including trends in NOx and NH3 emission controls, naturally occurring dust, and fossil fuel use, with significant implications for the health of both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Moderate Physical Activity as Predictor of Weight Loss After Bariatric Surgery

The prevalence of obesity is 33% and is expected to reach 50% based on current US trends. Bariatric surgery is effective in producing long-term weight loss, yet it requires adherence to the recommended diet and physical activity. This study assessed whether the short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-SF) data at 1 year postbariatric surgery would correlate with success (defined as more than 50% excess weight loss (EWL)) after surgery. The IPAQ-SF questionnaire provided assessment of subjects' activity level over the last 7 days, in four separate activity domains: vigorous, moderate, walking, and sitting. Questionnaires were completed and collected at the 1-year postbariatric surgery group visit. Then, 118 subjects who completed the IPAQ-SF were subdivided based on loss of greater than or less than 50% of their excess weight, which in turn was based on ideal body weight. In subjects with ≥50% EWL (n = 49), we noted 67.1 ± 8.8% EWL versus 33.2 ± 9.4% in those with <50% EWL (n = 69) (p < 0.001). The ≥50% EWL group performed 420 (216-960) min of total activity per week versus 300 (172-718) min for the <50% group. The ≥50% EWL group engaged in 120 (8-180) min of vigorous activity, 150 (28-330) min of moderate activity, and 233 (109-512) min of walking versus 40 (0-255), 68 (0-204), and 188 (83-341) min, respectively, for the <50% EWL group. Physical activity does correlate with success after bariatric surgery, as measured by excess weight loss (≥50% EWL).

US Trends in Pediatric VAD Utilization: Analysis of Organ Procurement and Transplant Network Data

Purpose Pediatric ventricular assist device (VAD) utilization has purportedly surged in the US in recent years. Accurate information regarding the type and frequency of devices currently used in children is limited. We sought to describe overall trends in pediatric VAD utilization as a bridge to heart transplant (HT) in the current era. Methods and Materials All children Results Since July 2004, a total of 450 children (14% of children at HT) received a VAD in the US as a bridge-to-transplant. The percent of children supported with a VAD at HT increased from 2% in 2004 to 17% in 2010. The median age of VAD recipients was 9 years (IQR, 1, 14), the median weight was 29 kg (IQR 11, 55). Cardiomyopathy (CMP) was the primary indication for support in 62% (N=277), CHD in 17% (N=76), myocarditis in 15% (N=74) and re-transplant in 2% (N=9). LVADs were used in 62% (N=278) of children, BIVADs in 35% (N=158) and RVADs alone in 3% (N=14). Overall, the most commonly used LVADs included the Berlin Heart EXCOR Pediatric (48%), the Heartmate II (13%), Thoratec XVE (13%), Thoratec IVAD (5%), Toyobo (4%) and heartware (1%). For those receiving BIVAD support, the most commonly used VADs were the Berlin Heart (56%), Thoratec XVE (23%, Thoratec PVAD or IVAD (9%), Abiomed 5000 (5%) and mixed devices. Conclusions Use of pediatric ventricular assist devices has increased dramatically in recent years, and has emerged as a widely accepted therapy for children with end stage heart failure who fail medical therapy. Nearly two-thirds of pediatric VADs are used for cardiomyopathy. While a broad range of VADs are used, a few devices account for the majority of pediatric implants in the current era.

Do the US trends drive the UK–French market linkages?: empirical evidence from a threshold intraday analysis

This article investigates the impact of US stock market openings on linkages between the UK and French markets. Using intraday data over the period December 2004 to March 2009, we find significant time-varying dependence between the UK and French stock returns, which alter according to the state of the US market. Indeed, not only does the opening of the US market itself significantly affect the UK stock dependency, but such linkages also seem to be closely dependent on bearish or bullish US market trends. Interestingly, the estimation of a two-regime Threshold Autoregressive (TAR) model indicates that the bearish US trends are a source of minor linkage (lower regime), whereas the bullish US trends involve higher interdependency (upper regime). This finding is particularly interesting as following the US trend expectations enables us to better forecast future European stock prices and to calculate the level of their potential contagion effects.

US Prevalence and Trends in Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Children and Adolescents With Asthma

To examine exposure to tobacco smoke products (TSPs), environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), and in-home smoke among youth with asthma in the United States. Nationally representative, cross-sectional data from 2250 youth aged 4 to 19 years with current asthma in the 1988-1994, 1999-2004, and 2005-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were analyzed. Outcomes were use of TSPs (serum cotinine level >10 ng/mL or self-reported recent use of cigarettes, cigars, or pipes) and, among non-TSP users, ETS exposure (serum cotinine ≥0.05 ng/mL) and in-home smoke exposure (reported). Multiple logistic regression analyses assessed the associations between the outcomes and age, gender, race/ethnicity, and family income. Among adolescents (aged 12-19 years) with asthma in 2005-2010, 17.3% reported TSP use. Among youth (aged 4-19 years) with asthma who did not use TSPs, 53.2% were exposed to ETS and 17.6% had in-home smoke exposure. Among low-income youth, 70.1% and 28.1% had exposure to ETS and in-home smoke, respectively. After controlling for sociodemographic factors, higher prevalence of exposure to ETS and in-home smoke persisted among low-income youth. Between 1988-1994 and 2005-2010, there was a decline in ETS and in-home smoke exposure (both P < .001). ETS exposure among youth with asthma declined between 1988-1994 and 2005-2010, but a majority remained exposed in 2005-2010, with higher exposure among low-income youth. More than 1 in 6 youth with asthma in 2005-2010 were exposed to in-home smoke and a similar portion of adolescents used TSPs.

US Prevalence and Trends in Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Children and Adolescents With Asthma

US Prevalence and Trends in Tobacco Smoke Exposure Among Children and Adolescents With Asthma

European Theatre and Performance Studies

European Theatre and Performance Studies Christopher Balme I am writing this editorial in the immediate aftermath of attending a planning meeting of the newly formed but not yet officially registered organisation EASTAP (European Association for the Study of Theatre and Performance). The idea for the new organisation was born out of both political and academic ‘shocks’ according to the driving force behind it, Josette Féral, currently professor of theatre studies at Paris 3 and before that head of the theatre department at the Université du Québec à Montréal. She is also a former president of IFTR. The political shock was Brexit, the academic one a recommendation by a European-trained but US-based academic that a leading graduate school in the US for theatre studies should abolish its foreign-language requirements. This ‘call’ for disciplinary monolingualism masks another more pervasive disciplinary one where the linguistic dominance acts as a vehicle for mainly US trends being transported as the dominant intellectual ones. European theatre studies because of its linguistic multiplicity also feature a richness of perspectives and intellectual traditions that threaten to be obscured. Féral’s initial call generated a remarkable response from across the continent and the UK (there are currently 400 registrations) and in the course of two initial meetings various task forces have been formed to hammer out a constitution, establish a journal and perform all the other tasks necessary for such an undertaking. This work is still in progress but will hopefully culminate in a first conference this autumn in Paris. This initiative poses questions of a very fundamental nature regarding our discipline. The inexorable march towards English as the only ‘acceptable’ academic language for publication is a widely debated and highly controversial topic. Where English is concerned, pragmatism tends to rule (the meeting I attended was conducted in English although I was one of only three native speakers in attendance). The more interesting question concerns disciplinary multilingualism. Although I would be hard put to identify a particular German understanding of theatre studies (Theaterwissenschaft) which is not hopelessly out of date, this is not necessarily the case in other European countries. The Italian representative at the meeting insisted – and I think rightly so – that historiography is at the centre of the discipline there (although a few fringe elements may indulge in performance studies). A conference topic that only privileges contemporary performance would effectively exclude research perspectives from a whole country. From a German perspective it would probably be the opposite. Despite outside perceptions that German Theaterwissenschaft is indebted to the historiography of Max Herrmann, his research into mediaeval and Renaissance theatre finds little resonance in contemporary curricula and research agendas. The recent conference of the Gesellschaft für Theaterwissenschaft on ‘Kritik/criticism’ was almost exclusively contemporaneous in its papers. The historical/contemporary divide is certainly one of the divisions running through our discipline but it does not appear to map exactly onto European cultural geography. In Poland for example there are strong ‘fortresses’ of historical research [End Page 103] and at the same time ‘progressive’ centres devoted to performance studies. France seems to be split somewhere down the middle, a division often going through whole departments. If Europe defines itself in terms of its cultural heritage (which most EU propaganda does relentlessly), then where does this position European theatre and performance studies within the global map? The famous immediacy of the theatrical event suggests a clear privileging of the contemporary (the scholar has direct access to the object of research), but cultural politics would seem to push us in a different direction. Respect for languages and cultural traditions is a central tenant of the European Union (all official documents are translated into all languages), and I am sure that the projected new association will endeavour to accommodate this multiplicity as best it can. But as an academic discipline engaged hopefully in proverbial ‘cutting-edge’ research, it would be counter-productive to define research trajectories along national-cultural boundaries. Otherwise we run the risk of foregrounding cultural specificity over theoretical and methodological perspectives. This would be a repeat of the mistake that IFTR fell into in its early meetings in the 1960 s and 1970...

A decision-making perspective on business integration and inter-firms agreements in biotechnology industry

The aim of this paper is to discuss the issue of corporate structure and business models for managing new modular and complementary biotechnology innovations according to a decision-making perspective. Corporate structure and business models of large diversified firms (LDFs) and dedicated biotechnology firms (DBFs), in fact, are at the heart of the scientific research and of the practice in the management field. We focus our attention on the trade-off between vertical integration and inter-firms agreements aimed to control biotech innovation, a trade-off which is related to collaborations’ content, business planning, investment constraints and intellectual capital. DBFs specific features will be presented along with the strategic options developed by operators. The contributions of the transaction cost theory and of the resource-based view will be underlined and, as a consequence, we will elaborate on the fundamental variables for decision making purposes. Data on the US and European integrative strategies trends in the biotech industry will be presented in the conclusive section.